Quote of the day: If you do things well, do them better. Be daring, be first, be different, be first.

I find these quotes every morning on the little sugar packs.

Yesterday was an emotional day at the zoo.

Emotional because for the first time we had a sort of evaluation talk with one of the Congolese supervisors present. We openly talked about the things that shocked us and the things we admired. What shocked us is already discussed in my previous post but I don’t think I stated what we really admire. That is their ambition and their ability to set goals and make their choices all in relation to that one goal. We had also observed that not all Congolese students were equally accepted among each other. We wanted to know why certain things are the way they are and why some people are the way they are, we were simply suggested to ask, which in hindsight foolishly enough we never did.

It seems like every day we spend with the students from the UNILU (university of Lubumbashi),nicknamed Kassapards because their university is on the road to the prison which in Swahili is Kassapa, is filled with emotions and surprises. Both good and bad, sad and cheery. Every day we discover that things are not always as they seem. That things we thought were so obviously bad and wrong at first are now not so black and white anymore. Talking with them more makes me realize that the differences are not as blatant as we all assumed.

There is for instance one girl, who claimed to hate and detest gay people and who is a little left out in the group because she is sometimes rude and therefore hard to talk to. After our evaluation talk we were determined to get to know her better and find out who she really is. Surprisingly she turned out to be this really gentle and sweet person who despite everything would accept gay people as friends (I’m sorry for continuously using this example but it is just the most readily available example). Turns out she has just had a difficult life, she’s had to fight for her place. Thank you evaluation for making us try harder to understand.

Tonight we will move to our “familles d’acqeuil”. Me and Ikrame will stay with Loreanne (Lolo) who is one of our Congolese counterparts. The other “VUBistes” are placed with families that are not part of the group of Kassapards. I am curious to see where Loreanne lives, she seems to be well off and is someone who is always cheery and open, easy to like and unprovocative.

From Monday onwards we will work on our projects, we will be separated for four days. I think it will be a very interesting couple of days. Well every day has been interesting and insightful so far.

Also BIG RELIEF, Kawel, one of the UNILU supervisors told us that what they said about women the day before yesterday during that awful discussion was not how they felt but more something they had said to provoke a discussion. They had cited a text written by Khadafi (of all people). In that respect it worked for us but that makes me feel like the Congolese students didn’t really react, even one of the girls, who is the strongest of them all and who is usually first to state her opinion as blunt as she likes was very diplomatic in her questions and answers. This is something that needs a little investigating.

Now I will get ready to go to church with Loreanne J, what to wear, what to wear.

Ineke Hulselmans